Off Guard: A clean action adventure book

by Glen Robins

  “I never thought I could produce that kind of hatred,” Collin said, shaking his head. “I didn’t even do anything wrong. At least, not at first.”

  “I didn’t think so either, my friend. How could anyone guess it would have come to this? Like I told Penh up there, it was just bad luck. Your wife’s accident started this whole chain reaction. I just wanted to protect you from Penh, not get you involved this deeply in his scheme.”

  “Not your fault, Lukas. This whole thing is Penh’s fault. Penh and fate, I guess.” Collin nodded his head slowly. He looked at each of the faces that surrounded him. “It’s been a wild ride, that’s for sure. One I never expected and never wished for, but I’m glad I was able to help stop that son of a bitch. And I’m glad I had all you guys to help make it happen.” Collin made eye contact with each of the men in the circle.

  Nic gave an apologetic nod, Crabtree looked sheepish, and McCoy let a wry smile form on his lips.

  “A wild ride? That’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it?” blurted Rob.

  A muted chuckle rose from the group.

  A Mexican soldier, dressed in his camouflage battle fatigues, approached them deferentially but urgently. “Sirs, your transport is ready,” he said, sweeping his arm toward the front doors. Two armed soldiers met them at the steps that descended to the reception desk and stayed with them as the group moved methodically for Collin’s and Rob’s sakes until they reached the limousine parked at the curb. It was idling. White smoking drifted up from its tailpipe.

  Collin couldn’t help but look to his left as they approached the car. Yellow tape marked the area where Penh’s mangled body and a pool of his blood still lay, being photographed for the record.

  A crescent moon hung in the sky overhead, casting its gentle light over the towering structure. In turn, the glass panes reflected that light, creating a peaceful glow. Rob, Lukas, and Collin piled into the black Cadillac, taking up the whole back seat, while the three agents took the bench facing them. The six of them continued their conversation, each discussing his role and his take on the story as they drove to the airfield.

  A Lear Jet awaited them on the tarmac. Four minutes after they boarded the plane, it was taxiing into position at the head of the runway, spinning up its engines in the last preflight check. Collin felt his body being pushed back into the soft leather recliner as the plane picked up speed. A million thoughts and two million emotions ran through his head and his heart. He was going home to Huntington Beach to see his parents for the first time in eight months. Not since the funeral for his wife and three children last July had he seen his siblings. It would be strange, but sweet. A lot had happened since then. His life had been turned upside down and he had been called upon to do things he never thought he would or could do. He was, after all, just an ordinary guy.

  Lukas sat next to him and Rob sat in the seat facing him. Memories of their years together in middle school and high school flooded through his mind. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was that open window and the ledge. It caused him to relive those moments where he was slipping off toward oblivion. That was followed closely by the vision of Rob’s face as he and his wheelchair hung suspended eight hundred feet in the air. Every detail coming back with vivid clarity. His heart skipped and his body shot forward, eyes wide open.

  Rob raised an eyebrow at him. “You OK?”

  “Fine. Nightmares, is all,” he said.

  “Me, too. No way I can sleep right now,” said Rob, diverting his gaze out the window.

  “You should try. We both need some rest after what we’ve been through the past few days.”

  “Yeah.” Rob shrugged. “Good luck with that.”

  When Collin finally settled back down and closed his eyes the second time, he tried harder to block out the terror of recent events. He tried not to think about the man he’d suffocated and caused to drown on the boat, nor the one he had speared in the chest. As he worked those thoughts out of his consciousness, Amy’s beautiful, smiling face appeared. She looked happy and content and Collin felt it was time for him to let go of his guilt and pain regarding her death. It was like she was giving him permission to move on. He patted the computer sitting on his lap and told himself he would write this story for her. She would enjoy it.

  His eyes fluttered open again at this thought. There was too much energy and excitement and nervousness bottled up to sleep right now, so he gave up trying. Even though sleep was what his body craved most, his mind just wouldn’t let it happen. Not yet, anyway.

  So he stayed awake, and his friends with him, the new ones and the old ones. They talked about everything. Past, present, and future. He told them about his escape from London, then Germany, then France. He told them about his ordeal at sea and his ordeal in the Cessna and his ordeal in the mountains. He shared the moments of terror when he thought he would die and how he thought Penh would certainly kill him. He told them how he felt he might never get over the fact that he had taken two lives and played a part in Penh’s gruesome demise. Most of all, he expressed his heartache about Rob’s missing finger.

  Rob and Lukas listened attentively and tried to comfort Collin. Rob expressed his confidence that either the reattachment surgery would be successful or he would learn to live without it. “It might screw up my golf game for a while, so be prepared to cover my bets, buddy,” Rob said with a grin.

  Flummoxed, Collin shot him a look of incredulity. “Who would bet on a golf game when he’s missing a finger?”

  The three agents onboard, unfamiliar with the type of friendship Rob and Collin shared, looked at each other wide eyed.

  Then, almost in unison, Lukas said, “He would,” while Rob said, “I would.” The three friends burst out laughing while the three agents chuckled tentatively.

  After the laughter subsided, Collin turned his face toward the window. America, his home, the land of the brave, was still free and he was about to restart his life there as a normal American citizen.

  Epilogue

  Finished Office Building, Mexico City, Mexico

  May 16, the following year, 10 a.m. Local Time

  Senator Javier Montez Morello stood at the podium and waited for the applause to die down. The crowd was exuberant. After the plot to overthrow the Mexican government and assassinate the President was exposed, along with the tragedy that played out in this very building, it was now time to dedicate the structure and open it up for business. Of course, being Mexico, that meant a formal ceremony followed by a fiesta, complete with music and dancing.

  Collin stood between Lukas and Rob in the middle row, far left, surrounded by investors, business leaders, politicians, community activists, and clergy members. They were never named and their role in the dedication of the building was never publicized, but they were honored, nonetheless, to be invited to participate in the ceremony. Collin had spotted Butch in the crowd, along with a few of the Mexican soldiers from that night nearly a year prior, cheering and clapping.

  When his speech ended, Senator Morello sought them out and shook their hands. “If you had not done what you did, none of this would be happening,” he said sincerely, inclining his head at the crowd and the building in general. “You saved more than a building project. You saved lives, and the economy of the free world and this country, and a way of life enjoyed by millions of free people. It was extraordinary what you did here. May God bless you all.”

  The three friends enjoyed the fiesta, talked to Butch and the other team members there, then ducked out before the party got rolling into high gear. They had a flight to catch and another party of sorts to attend.

  ****

  George Town Harbor, George Town, Cayman Islands

  May 17, 1:00 p.m. Local Time

  Rob stood next to Collin and Lukas stood next to Rob. Nervous energy flowed through the three of them like electricity. Lukas elbowed Rob and whispered something in his ear. Rob giggled and elbowed him back. Collin twisted his head and shot them both a dark look. They held ba
ck their giggles but couldn’t hide their smiles.

  Henry appeared, sixty feet down the gangway, looking stately and tall and dignified. His back was straight, his head held high, his white hair gelled into place against the gentle ocean breezes. He waited, motionless. When the music started, he pulled his right arm up, bent it at the elbow with his hand across his midsection.

  Emily appeared from the small building to his left, walking gracefully to the rhythm of the wedding march until she came around the other side of Henry Cook and laced her arm through his, unable to control a coy smile. Her eyes sparkled, as did the sea around them. The two walked in lockstep down the gangway while the music played and the crowd gained their feet. The “crowd” was a group of about twenty people that consisted of Collin’s family, a few of Emily’s closest friends, the crew of the Admiral Risty, Special Agent Reggie Crabtree and his wife, Special Agent Spinner McCoy and his girlfriend, and Detective Nic Lancaster and a very pretty lady he introduced as his fiancée. The cute little girl with the blond curls spreading the yellow rose pedals along the way was Collin’s niece, Richard’s daughter. She was five years old. The little boy following along behind, wearing a life preserver buckled over his little white tuxedo and carrying a small pillow with a ring tied down on top, was Collin’s three-year-old nephew.

  When they reached the line-up of Collin and his friends, they stopped. So did the music. Henry then took Emily’s hand, kissed it gently, and passed it to Collin. He then retreated into the crowd to stand next to his wife, Sarah, who dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  Collin, too, kissed Emily’s hand and stared into her steel blue eyes and mouthed the words, “I love you.” Emily smiled shyly and mouthed the same words back. They turned in unison to face a beaming Captain Sewell, who stood on the bow of the Ristier Admiral dressed in his finest Island shirt and white trousers. One of only three pairs of long pants he had ever owned as an adult. They were stiff and showed the lines where they had been folded and stacked on a sales shelf earlier that morning. A new pair of leather sandals adorned his otherwise bare feet as well.

  The Captain’s bright white teeth practically glowed against his dark black skin. His eyes danced, then misted, then danced again as he looked from the flower girl’s face to Collin’s, then Emily’s, then to the crowd.

  After the Captain pronounced them man and wife, Collin dipped Emily and they kissed a long and passionate kiss. The small crowd erupted in celebration. The niece and nephew turned away with crinkled noses and disgusted expressions.

  After the conclusion of the ceremony, Collin and Emily greeted and thanked each guest personally. They exchanged hugs and stories and remembrances. Collin felt a special closeness to each person there and let them know it.

  Then Collin called for everyone’s attention. “It is now my great honor to pronounce this spectacular sailing vessel, The Ristier Admiral, ready to take to the seas.”

  The crowded erupted again as Collin smashed a bottle of champagne across the prow.

  More champagne was poured, and the catered food was consumed. The music played and the guests danced and laughed and made merry. As the sun started to bend toward the western horizon, The Ristier Admiral set sail while the Captain and crew and the other guests waved good-bye. Collin stood at the helm, smiling and waving from behind the large wheel, blowing kisses to his mom and niece and sister and giving Captain Sewell a big, grateful salute as he backed away. He bought the boat, so what could the Captain say when he asked to borrow it for a week-long honeymoon?

  ****

  La Jolla, California

  The Happily Ever After part

  Collin had successfully held on to the $30 Million settlement money that Penh’s legitimate business paid out against a legitimate claim in a legitimate out-of-court settlement. With that money, he and Emily traveled the world during the years that followed, finding areas off the beaten path where there were plenty of people with plenty of needs.

  Collin’s favorite thing to do was to attend church in those communities and see how the people lived and worshipped. He loved the fact that more often than not, the poorest people were the happiest. Of course, they had suffering and difficulties, too. But they seemed very well adapted to the rigors and stresses of life. That’s why he enjoyed making anonymous donations to the pastors or ministers or relief agencies in those areas to provide both short-term and long-term solutions for those in the greatest need. Towns he and Emily visited were soon blessed with medicines, water purification technology, new school buildings, and/or agricultural implements. If there was a piece of equipment that would help provide long-term solutions to the lack of food and water, those towns and villages would receive it and the necessary training shortly after the Cook’s visit.

  With cell phones and email, it was easy to follow up and keep track of the progress of each project. Collin’s full-time job was to make sure that these projects were finished and the intended beneficiaries benefitted, not the bureaucrats or politicians that so often stood in the way with their hands out.

  Emily continued to excel in her work with enzyme therapies targeted at specific cancer cell types. Awards and accolades and promotions followed, but she remained grounded and family-oriented, while also riveted to the cause of curing the dreaded disease.

  She also became a mother to two beautiful children, one with steel-blue eyes like her mother, the other with a mop of dusty hair like his father. Collin’s days were consumed by his favorite pastimes: being a dad, surfing nearly every morning, and the occasional strategy session with Rob.

  By following Rob Howell’s financial guidance and sage investment strategies, Collin’s money grew as fast as he could give it away. It didn’t solve all the problems, but as they worked together, Rob, Collin, and Emily felt they were making a positive contribution toward bettering the lives of those less fortunate. Focusing on the needs of others and working hard to lift as many people as they could from poverty’s clutches, at home and abroad, brought joy and satisfaction amid the tumult in the world.

  Thank you

  Thank you for reading “Off Guard,” the third installment in Collin Cook’s saga. I hope you enjoyed the adventure.

  If you like fun, clean fiction that I write, like “Off Guard,” please take a moment to share your thoughts with other readers by writing a review on Amazon. There’s no prescribed way to write a review—just tell people what you thought about the book. Your input helps other readers as they make their decisions about what to read and it helps authors like me connect with new readers. Please click here.

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  For an exclusive look into the history between Collin and Emily, click here to get your free copy of “Off Limits,” a prequel novella.

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  The “Off” series by Glen Robins includes:

  Off Kilter

  Off Course

  Off Guard

  Off Chance (novella)

  Off Limits (novella)

  Off Track (novella)

  Other books by Glen Robins:

  * Chosen Path (coming soon)

  * Born Into Espionage (Fall 2021)

  Continue to the next page for a preview of “Chosen Path,” my next novel.

  Chosen Path

  A Novel by Glen Robins

  Prologue

  Prologue

  Northbound 405 Freeway, Orange County, California

  June 6, 4:54 a.m.

  It had been the worst twenty-four hours of my life, yet I felt oddly satisfied. Exhausted and dep
leted in every way and yet relieved, thanks to a relatively successful outcome.

  For the second time since I had woken up early the previous morning, I found myself in handcuffs in the back of a law enforcement vehicle. This second time, I was OK with it.

  I deserved to be there. What I had done was morally reprehensible. And illegal. I had violated several laws, including provisions in the Geneva Convention.

  Yet, my conscience was at peace. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the seatback, settling in for the long car ride back to where this adventure—or misadventure, depending on how you looked at it—began. I needed to catch up on my sleep, knowing there would be more grueling hours ahead of me.

  If you were to judge my day’s performance strictly in a numerical sense, I guess the highest grade you could give me would be a B-. I had been 80% successful in what I set out to do.

  I take that back. I accomplished 100% of my original goal. My task was multiplied by five as the day progressed, and not because of anything I did. That’s just the way things went. Once I decided to be vigilant, my day, and I suppose my life, took a sharp turn away from the expected and into a role I never thought I would be in again.